There is no parable in the Bible that better portrays God the Father, than the story of the Prodigal Son. I have been never so deeply moved by the story as when I heard Tim Keller’s sermon, “The Prodigal God.” Prodigal...
Read moreCelebrate Martin Luther King Day
Today is Martian Luther King Jr. day. Racism was never something I knew growing up. I was fortunate to grow up in a family that molded embracing people who were different than me. At out family dinner table we ate with people from India, Africa...
Read moreCrossing Party Lines
With the racial and political turmoil on the news, it was refreshing to see a vastly different group of people working together at camp this past weekend. We had different races, different ages, urban and rural all working together. It wasn’t us...
Read moreA Profound Change
This past weekend we hosted our 7th Family Retreat. A counselor commented on the growth she had seen in one of the boys, we’ll call John. Three years ago she was leading a horse ride when he said, “When I grow up I want to be an assassin...
Read moreServing Through Pain
Today I am sharing a blog post by one of our CDO Board Members, Mercedes, after her weekend of serving at our Fall Prisoner’s Family Retreat. Broken But Recovered Blog Post Source: Ben’s Blog
Read moreNot enough parachutes?
A boy scout, lawyer, and priest were flying out to a remote camp in Alaska when the pilot climbed out of the cockpit and announced that the plane was going down and unfortunately there were only three parachutes. Assuring them that he would get...
Read moreGrief- You could be their only ray of hope
No one is immune from it. Grief is an aspect of love. We grieve the loss of things we value. Caring communities are what enable us to move through our grief. Children of prisoners experience the grief of loss of a loved one and/or the loss of a...
Read moreReleasing Potential in Children of Prisoners
Thank you for your faith in giving to the ministry of Camp David of the Ozarks. Have you ever had been surprised by the positive change in a child’s life? The past two weeks God surprised us again and again. A boy who defiantly kept his...
Read morePrincess Violet
This is a true story that I wrote for our Banquet for Hope on January 29, 2016. Source: Ben’s Blog
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